Episode 9: CA Arts & Culture Summit - “Highlights Show Part 1”

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2024 CA Arts & Culture Summit “Highlights Show Part One” - Photos Courtesy of Doug Cupid Photography

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"We must endeavor to shift the national psyche so that artists are neither at the bottom or the top of the hierarchy, but at the heart" – Nataki Garrett”

Step into our Season Two highlights—captured at the 2024 California Arts & Culture Summit—where leaders declare ‘artwork is real work,’ prescribe creativity for public health, and champion guaranteed income for artists. Watch the full video here or Listen to the full audio here and join the movement for equitable, arts-powered community revival.

Julie Baker-CEO,California For The Arts/CA Arts Advocates

As the CEO of California’s statewide arts advocacy organizations since 2018, Julie has worked to increase the legislative clout and visibility of the arts and culture communities by building coalition across the for and non-profit sectors of California’s creative industries, producing a month-long arts awareness and advocacy campaign every April, and fighting for resources and legislation to serve and protect artists and cultural workers. She was recently appointed to the Board of the Western States Arts Federation (WESTAF). 

Julie has served as the California State Captain to Americans for the Arts’ National Arts Action Summit, as the recent co-chair of the Western Arts Advocacy network for WESTAF, as well as co-chair of the creative economy working group at the CA Economic Summit. She is the Board President of California Heritage: Indigenous Research Project and was elected to the Nevada County school board in November of 2020. She is also an appointed member of the State of California’s 2022 Entrepreneurship & Economic Mobility Task Force (EEMTF) and the Creative Economy Working Group under the California Arts Council. Julie is the recipient of the 2021 Americans for the Arts Alene Valkanas State Arts Advocacy Award that honors an individual at the state level whose arts advocacy efforts have dramatically affected the political landscape.

Over the years, Julie has owned a fine arts gallery for emerging artists, co-founded Flow art fair — a satellite to Art Basel Miami Beach — opened a consulting firm, Julie Baker Projects, and curated an annual music series at the Crocker Art Museum. Earlier in her career she was President of her family’s arts marketing firm in New York City and worked at Christie’s Auction house before moving to California in 1998. Julie also served for eight years as the Executive Director of The Center for the Arts, a non-profit performing arts venue and California WorldFest, an annual music and camping festival located in Grass Valley, CA. She is also the recipient of the inaugural Peggy Levine Arts & Community Service Award from the Nevada County Arts Council.

Watch and Listen to episode one and Join Julie Baker of California for the Arts and learn how you can help shape a vibrant future for the arts in California. Get the details and get involved.

Nataki Garrett-Co-Artistic Dir. One Nation / One Project & Arts for Every Body

A change-maker, trailblazer, Nataki Garrett is the CEO and Executive Director of the The Ladder Approach: Executive coaching, as well as the co-Artistic Director of One Nation/One Project and is leading their national arts and health initiative Arts for EveryBody. In 2020, She co-founded the theater advocacy organization Professional Non-Profit Theater Coalition (PNTC) – a national coalition organized to help the theater industry advocate for the $15B Shuttered Venue Operators Grant of historically unprecedented funding from the federal government. Nataki Garrett served as the Executive and Artistic Director of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (OSF) and the Acting Artistic Director of the Denver Center for the Performing Arts (DCPA). Her vision is to support artists; to manifest innovation; to inspire creativity and to ensure the future of performance by centering artists as thought leaders and change makers who transform culture.

An accomplished Director and Producer of Stage, Film and in the Immersive (XR/VR) arena, Garrett created and produced “Quills Fest,” the first of its kind event intersecting XR and Theater as well as The Cymbeline Project (Young-Howze Award for Digital Theater, 2023). Garrett is the executive producer the films YOU GO GIRL! (Sundance Award, 2022), and ASHLAND both by Shariffa Ali as well as Bottled Spirits, directed by Elizabeth Carter. Additional awards and recognition include Bronze Telly Award(2023) and the OMPA Creative Innovation award, the Ammerman Award for Directing (2019), the United States Artist Fellowship (2022), and the National Directing Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts and Theater Communications Group.

Garrett has served on nominating committees, panels and countless juries supporting artists around the world. Frequently sought voice for her thought leadership and expertise, Garrett can be read, watched, or listened to regularly across regional and national news media.

Watch and Listen to Nataki’s full Key Note presentation in episode one and Join Nataki Garrett of One Natoin / One Project and learn how you can help shape a vibrant future for the arts in your community. Get the details and get involved.

Chris Appleton-Founder & CEO, Arts Pharmacy

Chris Appleton is the Founder and CEO of Art Pharmacy, a healthcare technology company solving America’s mental health crisis. Appleton’s vision for Art Pharmacy imagines the U.S. healthcare ecosystem adopting arts-based social prescribing as a critical part of an impact-driven mental health field. Appleton’s strong commitment to servant leadership, family, and civic engagement has led him to be bestowed numerous awards and honors, including the Americans for the Arts National Emerging Leader Award, Emory Center for Creativity and the Arts Community Impact Award, Atlanta Business Chronicle 40 Under 40, Georgia Trend’s 100 Notable Georgians, World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers, New Leaders Council Alumni Award, 2019 Class of Leadership Atlanta and Outstanding Atlanta Class of 2014. Appleton is a member of the Grady Hospital Ambassador Force Advisory Board, creating awareness and providing vital support for the Grady Health System. Appleton has served on numerous additional boards including the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Affordable Housing Advisory Board, Americans for the Arts Emerging Leaders Council, Atlanta Celebrates Photography, Alliance Theatre Advisory Board, Health Connect South Advisory Board and more. He is also co-founder of Vote with Dignity, an all-volunteer voter advocacy organization working to improve the voting experience through line warming and neighborhood engagement.

At the heart of Chris’s life’s work, he believes that lasting, sustainable change happens when people work across boundaries and barriers. Appleton and his wife, Annie, who works for Sartain Lanier Family Foundation, live in Atlanta with their two young children. He is currently completing his MBA at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management. Appleton’s passions include long-distance running, baking, and hosting dinner parties.

Watch and Listen to Chris Appleton’s insights in episode two and Join Chris Appleton of Arts Pharmacy and learn how you can utilize art work as health care in your community. Get the details and get involved.

Dr. Indre Viskontas, Ph.D.-Cognitive Neuroscientist, Science Communicator & Opera Stage Director

Dr. Indre Viskontas, MM, PhD, is a neuroscientist, musician, opera stage director and science communicator across all mediums. Combining a passion for music with scientific curiosity, she is an Associate Professor of Psychology at the University of San Francisco where she runs The Creative Brain Lab and is on faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She leads the Communications Core at the Sound Health Network, promoting research and public awareness of the impact music can have on our health and well-being and is the Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board at the NeuroArts Blueprint.

She is also the President-Elect of the Society for the Neuroscience of Creativity. She has written more than 50 academic publications on the neural basis of memory, musicand creativity. She was recently an Osher Fellow at the California Academy of Sciences, investigating the impact of conservation photography on climate action. Her work has been featured in Oliver Sacks’book Musicophilia, Nature: Science Careers, Nautilus, Discover Magazine and other outlets.

Her book, How Music Can Make You Better, was published by Chronicle Books. She has co-hosted several TV and web series, and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show, PBS NewsHour, major radio stations across the US, including NPR’s City Arts & Lectures and the CBC’s The Sunday Edition. She is the host of the popular science podcast Inquiring Minds, host and creator of the podcast Cadence: what music tells us about the mind, a Webby Awards Honoree, and the host and writer of the Audible Original podcast Radiant Minds: the World of Oliver Sacks. She often gives keynote talks and has created four 24-lecture courses for The Great Courses/Wondrium called Essential Scientific Concepts, Brain Myths Exploded, How Digital Technology Shapes Us and Creativity and Your Brain. Find out more at Indre’s website and organizational background information below.

Watch and Listen to Dr. Viskontas’s insights in episode two and Join Dr. Indre Viskontas and learn how you can utilize the teaching of the arts as a skill; That scores as high as STEM in SAT testing to help young people in your community. Get the details and get involved.

Dr. Tasha Golden,Ph.D.-Director of Research, Intl. Arts+Mind Lab, Johns Hopkins University

Tasha Golden, PhD is a singer/songwriter turned public health scientist, and a leading expert in Creativity and Wellbeing. She was the first Director of Research for the International Arts + Mind Lab at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, is adjunct faculty for the University of Florida’s Center for Arts in Medicine, and lead author of “Arts on Prescription: A Field Guide for US Communities.”

Holding a PhD in Public Health, Dr. Golden has published extensively on art’s many health impacts. She now speaks and consults around the world—helping clients and audiences apply the science to advance wellbeing, connection, innovation, and positive change.

Golden’s work is shaped by her early experiences as a career artist and entrepreneur. As singer-songwriter for the critically acclaimed band Ellery, she toured internationally, with songs in TV and film (ABC, SHOWTIME, FOX, NETFLIX, etc). But when severe burnout and depression ended her music career, she began raising questions about mental health, creativity, and wellbeing that led to her PhD, ongoing research, and global work as a speaker and consultant.

Golden is a published poet (Humanist Press), founder of Project Uncaged: a trauma-informed creative writing program for incarcerated girls, and developer of “How We Human”: a training in Mental Health and Trauma-Informed Practice designed for creatives. She has spoken for SXSW, the US Conference of Mayors, POLITICO, and CogX, among many others, and is a frequent guest on top podcasts related to business, health, and the arts.

Leveraging her research and background, Golden helps clients and audiences raise their own new questions—linking science and creativity to grow their work. Find out more about Dr. Golden through her LinkedIn profile and the background below. 

Watch and Listen to Dr. Golden’s insights in episode two and Join Dr. Tasha Golden of John Hopkins University and learn how you can utilize her Field Guide in prescribing the arts as health care in your community. Get the details and get involved.

Tamaira “Miss Tee” Sandifer-CEO & Founder, Studio T Arts & Entertainment

Tamaira Sandifer, affectionately known as “Miss Tee,” is a dedicated advocate with over 30 years of experience in dance and youth empowerment. In 2005, she founded the nonprofit 3 Point - Studio T Arts & Entertainment, using dance as a powerful tool to connect with diverse youth.

Miss Tee is committed to uplifting communities facing poverty and limited opportunities by providing essential financial education, life skills training, and entrepreneurship programs. She also established a Sacramento-based Social Media Production Studio to support local businesses and mentor young entrepreneurs, especially during the challenges of the pandemic.

Miss Tee's impact is nothing short of extraordinary. With a reach extending to over 880,000 youth nationwide, she has been a driving force behind the creation of more than 25 national youth-serving programs. Her dedication to the arts is evident in the establishment of art programs in over 600 schools. During the challenges of COVID, she secured $783,000 to support minority-owned businesses and played a pivotal role in helping over 38 small businesses start and grow. Miss Tee also engineered an online platform that became a critical learning tool for youth during the pandemic.

Her leadership and influence have been recognized widely, making the Forbes 50 list of Champions, being named California’s Woman of the Year, and receiving the Outstanding Women in Leadership Award from NAWBO. Additionally, she has been featured in Hub’s Magazine Women of Color and produced the Best New Television Series of 2021, awarded by Access Sacramento. Miss Tee's accomplishments continue to inspire and create lasting change in communities across the nation.

In January 2024, Miss Tee launched the Studio T Arts & Entertainment - Innovation Factory (STAE-IF) on a block she recently purchased on Sacramento’s historic Del Paso Blvd. What was once a Youth Detention Facility now serves as a hub for creatives, entrepreneurs, and the underserved communities in Sacramento. The STAE-IF offers programs in career development and essential life skills, aiming to elevate the quality of life for all involved. To learn more or support the Studio T Arts & Entertainment - Innovation Factory and Miss Tee, click here.

Watch and Listen to Tamaira’s insights in episode three and Join Tamaira Sandifer of Studio T Arts & Entertainment and learn how you can utilize entrepreneurship programs to support artists in your community. Get the details and get involved.

Nikko Kimzin-CEO+Lead Consultant,Kimzin Creative

Nikko Kimzin is a joy filled professional performer, producer, and consultant that seeks to uplift the human spirit. As Founder and Lead Consultant with Kimzin Creative (Petaluma, CA based arts & equity consulting group), he seeks to create greater communities of belonging through the arts. At Kimzin Creative, they center the cultural strengths and dreams of historically marginalized communities to transform policy, funding, and placemaking. Kimzin Creative collaborates with local governments, schools/districts, and arts & culture organizations to create equitable access to culturally relevant arts processes and programming.

Services include: Arts education, creative producing, and consultation on community engagement and arts-as-data-collection strategies. Clients include: Google, County of Sonoma, City of Santa Rosa, William + Flora Hewlett Foundation, Petaluma River Park Foundation, Center for Cultural Innovation, and more. www.kimzincreative.com | info@kimzincreative.com

Watch and Listen to Nikko’s insights in episode three and Join Nikko Kimzin of Kimzin Creative and learn how you can utilize a for profit business model to increase the funding support for the creative workforce in your community. Get the details and get involved.

Jaime Hand-Director of Strategic Impact and Narrative Change, Creatives Rebuild New York

Jamie Hand is the Director of Strategic Impact and Narrative Change for Creatives Rebuild New York. From 2014 to 2020, she was the Director of Research Strategies for ArtPlace America, where she designed and led cross-sector knowledge and network building efforts to embed arts and cultural practice within the community development field. Prior to ArtPlace, Jamie worked at the National Endowment for the Arts, where she launched the Our Town grant program, oversaw the Mayors’ Institute on City Design and the Citizens’ Institute on Rural Design, and advised on interagency efforts including Rebuild by Design. Previously, she worked at Van Alen Institute and for public artist Topher Delaney. Jamie’s background in landscape architecture and her strengths as an editor, facilitator, researcher, and designer reflect a unique combination of rigor and flexibility – with methods that honor both the linear and the nonlinear, the established and the experimental, the known and the unknown, the logic model and the lived experience. Jamie holds a BA from Princeton University’s School of Architecture, and a Master of Design Studies in landscape urbanism from the Harvard Graduate School of Design. She serves on the boards of ioby (“in our back yards”) and the Long Beach Island Foundation for the Arts and Sciences.

Watch and Listen to Jamie’s insights in episode four and Join Jamie Hand of Creatives Rebuild New York and learn how you can utilize the dual funding models of both a Guaranteed Income for Artists and an Artist Employment Program; To increase the funding support for the creative workforce in your community. Get the details and get involved.

Nurit Siegel Smith-Executive Director, Music Forward Foundation

Nurit Siegel Smith is the Executive Director of Music Forward Foundation, a national 501c3 organization part of the Live Nation Entertainment family with a mission to transform young lives, inspire careers, and champion a more inclusive music industry. Prior to Music Forward, she held key positions spanning two decades at various arts and entertainment organizations including Blue Man Group, Highways Performance Space, SAG-AFTRA Foundation, and Grand Performances. Nurit’s work at Music Forward also entails managing charitable partnerships such as Crew Nation, a global relief fund which has granted $18M to music crew members around the world since 2020. As a social sector executive and creative strategist, Nurit is dedicated to developing and advancing sustainable organizations that positively impact the world around us. She currently serves on the Board of Directors of Californians for the Arts and California Arts Advocates. Nurit is a UC Berkeley dance and theater graduate and her work as a performer/creator has been seen on TV, film, and on stages across the country.

Watch and Listen to episode four to hear from Nurit Siegel Smith of the Music Forward Foundation. Join Nurit Siegel Smith of Music Forward Foundation and discover how training artists to monetize their work can boost your community's creative economy.

Marcus Mitchell-Public Art Administrator, City of West Hollywood, representing CA Public Art Administrators (CAPAA)

Marcus Mitchell is a public art administrator with over ten years of project management and community engagement experience for public art projects involving diverse communities, contexts, and partnerships. Past projects include Funk, God, Jazz and Medicine: Black Radical Brooklyn at Creative Time, the Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) public art program, and Destination Crenshaw in South Los Angeles. Marcus has worked as a public art administrator with the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Division since February 2023. He studied Art History at the University of Southern California and Curating Contemporary Art at the Royal College of Art, London.

Watch and Listen to to hear from Marcus Mitchell from the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Program. and discover how training artists to monetize their work can boost your community's creative economy.

In episode four, hear from Marcus Mitchell of the City of West Hollywood’s Arts Program on the power of coalition building. Join Marcus Mitchell from the City of West Hollywood for insights into how skilled people in your community can unite to support and grow their arts and culture businesses together.

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